President Putin underlines Russia's commitment to 'privileged strategic partnership' with India

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday extended warm wishes to India on its Independence Day, underlining Moscow's commitment to strengthening the particularly "privileged strategic partnership" between the two nations.

"For 77 years of independent development, your country has achieved universally recognised successes in socio-economic, scientific, technological and many other spheres and gained high prestige in the world arena," Putin said in a statement addressed to his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of India's Independence Day.

"We attach great importance to the relations of a particularly privileged strategic partnership with India. I am confident that the consistent implementation of the agreements reached following our recent talks in Moscow will contribute to the further development of multifaceted Russian-Indian cooperation," he was quoted as saying in the statement by state-run TASS news agency.

According to Putin, this undoubtedly meets the interests of both countries and is in line with the consolidation of security and international stability. Putin's statement comes amid indications that Prime Minister Modi will visit war-torn Ukraine next week.

Modi is expected to visit the Ukrainian capital to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against the backdrop of renewed global efforts to sketch out a path to end Russia's war on Ukraine.

However, there is no official announcement on it yet.

Putin also wished Murmu and Modi good health and success, and all citizens of the country happiness and prosperity.